U.S. House plan overturning Obamacare halfway there

A measure in the U.S. House of Representatives that would force the chamber into a new vote on Obamacare, even if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t want it, is halfway toward its needed support.

Advocates say constituents need to call their representatives to tell them to get on board right away so that the petition is positioned to move forward whether or not the GOP becomes the majority in the House after the 2010 fall elections.

“Pursuant to clause 2 of rule XV, I, Steve King of Iowa, move to discharge the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Education and Labor, the Judiciary, Natural Resources, Rules, House Administration and Appropriations from the consideration of the bill (H.R. 4972) to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was referred to said committees on March 25, 2010, in support of which motion the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives affix their signatures. …”

Its target is the $940 billion, or greater, bill adopted by the Democrat-controlled Congress in March. King’s measure has 109 signatures, exactly half of the 218 needed for it to move forward without hindrance.

House Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor, who have joined the campaign, released a statement encouraging the effort.

“Republicans are the proponents of limited government, personal responsibility and constitutional liberties, principles which ‘Obamacare’ violates,” said King. “Recognizing this fact, every House Republican voted against ‘Obamacare’ just three months ago. Now that our repeal effort has been endorsed by House GOP leadership, House Republicans should stand by their votes by signing onto discharge petition No. 11.”

He said, “The American people did not want ‘Obamacare’ passed, and they have consistently called for their representatives to show that they stand with them by repealing the legislation. Our discharge petition provides an avenue for repeal that even Speaker Pelosi cannot block. Republicans recognize that a clean, 100-percent repeal bill is the best strategy for uprooting ‘Obamacare’ lock, stock and barrel, and will continue to show their commitment to ‘Obamacare”s repeal by quickly signing our discharge petition.”

Congressional officials said Pelosi, an adamant advocate for government-controlled health care, never would allow a vote on a plan to overturn Obamacare. But through the discharge-petition process in the House, if a majority of members sign on, she cannot stop it.

The fact that support is required from 218 members also means any plan thus endorsed likely would pass the 435-member House.

GOP leaders want all party members to be on board – as they all voted against Obamacare. Also, Democrats that also opposed the narrowly approved plan are being asked to participate.

An inside congressional source told WND the pressure also will be on all other members as the November 2010 elections approach, since poll after poll has indicated a significant majority of Americans dislike Obamacare to the point of seeking its repeal.

The issue is expected to play a role in the elections, with voters, especially supporters of tea-party principles, calling on their representatives to stand up against what a multitude of lawsuits already are describing as an unconstitutional power grab by Democrats.

Both Democrats and Republicans will have to answer to voters on the issue, the source said.

And, whether the GOP or the Democrats are in a majority after the fall elections, the petition will put the issue in a position to be forwarded immediately.

“This isn’t a battle we want to give up on,” the source told WND. “Obamacare needs to get pulled out by the roots.”

Among those signing already are:

Steve King, Iowa

Connie Mack, Florida

Michele Bachmann, Minnesota

Todd Tiahrt, Kansas

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee

Tom Price, Georgia

Paul C. Broun, Georgia

Jerry Moran, Kansas

Tom Graves, Georgia

Rob Bishop, Utah

Joseph R. Pitts, Pennsylvania

Mike Pence, Indiana

Lynn A. Westmoreland, Georgia

Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania

Jeb Hensarling, Texas

Louie Gohmert, Texas

Judy Biggert, Illinois

John Boozman, Arkansas

Kenny Marchant, Texas

Jim Jordan, Ohio

Jason Chaffetz, Utah

Gary G. Miller, California

Bob Goodlatte, Virginia

Doug Lamborn, Colorado

Robert E. Latta, Ohio

Tom Cole, Oklahoma

Trent Franks, Arizona

K. Michael Conaway, Texas

Jo Bonner, Alabama

Dan Burton, Indiana

J. Gresham Barrett, South Carolina

John Linder, Georgia

Bill Posey, Florida

Lynn Jenkins, Kansas

Mike Coffman, Colorado

Roscoe G. Bartlett, Maryland

Virginia Foxx, North Carolina

John Campbell, California

Mike Rogers, Alabama

Randy Neugebauer, Texas

Charles K. Djou, Hawaii

Pete Sessions, Texas

F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Wisconsin

Howard Coble, North Carolina

Candice S. Miller, Michigan

Steve Scalise, Louisiana

Robert B. Aderholt, Alabama

Phil Gingrey, Georgia

Kevin Brady, Texas

Pete Olson, Texas

C.W. Bill Young, Florida

Tom McClintock, California

Joe Wilson, South Carolina

Mac Thornberry, Texas

John R. Carter, Texas

John Shimkus, Illinois

Mary Fallin, Oklahoma

Gus M. Bilirakis, Florida

John Fleming, Louisiana

Jeff Flake, Arizona

W. Todd Akin, Missouri

Peter Hoekstra, Michigan

Donald A. Manzullo, Illinois

Eric Cantor, Virginia

Scott Garrett, New Jersey

John A. Boehner, Ohio

Henry E. Brown, Jr., South Carolina

Kay Granger, Texas

Parker Griffith, Alabama

Ted Poe, Texas

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington

Rodney Alexander, Louisiana

Fred Upton, Michigan

Jean Schmidt, Ohio

John Sullivan, Oklahoma

Peter J. Roskam, Illinois

Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri

Michael C. Burgess, Texas

Ken Calvert, California

Lee Terry, Nebraska

Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina

Mary Bono Mack, California

Spencer Bachus, Alabama

Jeff Miller, Florida

John B. Shadegg, Arizona

Gregg Harper, Mississippi

John Abney Culberson, Texas

Dana Rohrabacher, California

David P. Roe, Tennessee

J. Randy Forbes, Virginia

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

Brett Guthrie, Kentucky

Denny Rehberg, Montana

Sue Wilkins Myrick, North Carolina

Tom Latham, Iowa

Michael K. Simpson, Idaho

John Kline, Minnesota

Ron Paul, Texas

Thomas J. Rooney, Florida

Daniel E. Lungren, California

Darrell E. Issa, California

Harold Rogers, Kentucky

John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee

Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania

Duncan Hunter, California

Sam Graves, Missouri

Bob Inglis, South Carolina

Edward R. Royce, California

Ralph M. Hall, Texas

WND reported when Boehner gave Obamacare a failing grade for its first three months due to evidence of billions in new taxes, job losses it will trigger, its increase of the deficit and other impacts Americans now are discovering.

Pelosi earlier said voters would be able to find out what was in bill after lawmakers adopted it and President Obama made it law.

Now it’s being revealed that nearly another half a billion dollars in taxes for Obama’s plan will come from charity-based 501(c)(3) hospitals and a whopping $70 billion will come from those who don’t buy “government-approved” health insurance or in some other way fail to comply with the law’s demands.

A recent poll by the Obama-friendly CNN revealed 56 percent of the public disapproves of the law.

“While rushing their massive government takeover of health care through Congress, President Obama and congressional Democrats promised it would create jobs, lower costs, reduce the deficit, allow Americans to keep their health care, protect seniors’ coverage, prohibit taxpayer-funded abortion and, of course, gain the support of the American people,” Boehner’s report said.

“It isn’t just that none of these promises or predictions have turned out to be true. In every instance, Obamacare has made matters worse,” the report said.

Among the study’s conclusions:

“Some of the nation’s largest employers have announced they will be forced to make cutbacks as a result of Obamacare’s job-killing mandates.”

“Two independent government entities … have confirmed that the new law fails to lower health-care costs and reduce the deficit.”

“Obamacare includes at least a dozen violations of President Obama’s pledge to not raise taxes on middle-class families.”

“The government has confirmed that the new law’s massive Medicare cuts will fall squarely on the backs of seniors, millions of whom will be forced off their current Medicare coverage.”

The report also said Obama officials have confirmed their new law “will force some 87 million Americans to drop their current coverage despite President Obama’s promise that Americans would be able to keep the coverage that they have.”

The report further states Obama has done nothing to implement his executive order that was supposed to prevent taxpayer funding of abortions.

The result is that people like it no better now – or even less – than before they knew many of the details. Dozens of states also have revolted against the plan.

“This report chronicles Obamacare’s broken promises in the three months since it became law,” Boehner said. “The American people remain squarely opposed to this government takeover of health care that has already failed to live up to specific promises made by President Obama and Washington Democrats.

“Republicans are listening to the American people, and fighting to repeal Obamacare so we can replace it with common-sense reforms focused on lowering costs and protecting jobs,” he said.

According to the plan, some $400 million will hit nonprofit hospitals, $17 billion will come from those “who do not purchase government-approved health insurance,” another $52 billion will hit workers “who fail to fully comply with government health-insurance mandates,” and a tax hike for Medicare will pull another $210 billion from the grocery budgets of Americans.

More than 130 top economists also submitted a document, according to the report, that “the health-care bill contains a number of provisions that will eliminate jobs, reduce hours and wages and limit future job creation.”